Stanford 'hams' take part in preparedness drill

STANFORD -- The Stanford University Amateur Radio Club, W6YX, unplugged
and took to the great outdoors on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, as
part of a national emergency-skills drill, "Field Day."

In the exercise, amateur radio operators, or "hams," across the United
States and Canada set up temporary transmitting stations away from commercial
power sources. The idea is to keep emergency skills sharp, since in the event
of a major disaster, such as the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, hams may
offer the only means of communication in many areas.

The yearly event is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League and also
involves the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, which provides training and
structure for coordinated response by hams during emergencies. Many members
of W6YX also belong to the service.

The Field Day winners are the members of the club that makes the most
contacts with other Field Day installations. Results of the competition,
which attracted about 1,700 clubs with a total of 28,000 individuals, will
not be available until later this summer.

This year, W6YX set up several transmitting stations in the foothills.
Large beam antennas were mounted on top of abandoned telephone poles, and
radios were located in a Volkswagen camper and on tables. All communications
were carried out using battery power to simulate power-outage conditions.

W6YX members made almost 1,000 contacts over the weekend, said participant
Edward Plumer, a graduate student in electrical engineering. They used a
variety of operating modes including voice, Morse code and "packet" radio,
which sends computer data via radio waves. Several club members also used
OSCAR-13 (Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio), which was launched by
the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.

Besides providing emergency communications, Plumer said, hams routinely
assist the public by providing communications for such events as marathons
and parades. Most of the time, however, they enjoy their hobby by making
contact with other hams just for fun. Using the club's radio station, W6YX
members have made contact with hams in all 50 states and several hundred
countries.

For more information about amateur radio and the Stanford club, call (415)
328-6462 or send electronic mail to w6yx@csli.stanford.edu.

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